What is it like to be entangled in a pig?
Residents of San Juan, Puerto Rico, USA, tell you that when thousands of dirty, dirty-bellied pigs that poop everywhere are raged across the road, screaming, rummaging through garbage cans, or even taking a bath in a mud pit, the unpleasant smell fills the streets and alleys, making it sick.
What kind of demon is the big belly pig?
The big-bellied pig is a breed of domestic pig that originated in Vietnam. It is thinner than the average American or European domestic pig, only the size of a medium-sized dog, and weighs less than 140 kilograms. They differ from other domestic pig breeds in terms of their size, upright ears and straight tail. Wide-ranging woods, abundant water and lush vegetation are the habitats on which they depend. Although they are relatively small, they are relatively long-lived, and can usually survive for 12-18 years under the condition of careful human maintenance. Large-bellied pigs eat plants as the main food every day, and occasionally eat small animals, eggs, insects and other complementary foods.
Different countries, regions, and cultures are different, and pigs represent happiness, satisfaction and wealth in Vietnamese culture. Legend has it that people close to pigs are as smart, hardworking, brave, and sociable as pigs. The juvenile belly pig is very pleasing, with dark skin and wrinkles on its nose, resembling a pug. Walking up and the tail swaying from side to side, the little fat belly is round and rolling, more and more cute.
Since the 1980s, in order to expand pork production, Sweden has begun to export a large number of domestic pigs to Vietnam. However, the survival needs of the native Vietnamese large-bellied pig breeds were relatively limited at the time, and they selectively only survived in the mountains of Vietnam and Thailand.
In order to enrich zoos, European countries have introduced a large number of Vietnamese big-bellied pigs, so it is not uncommon for large-bellied pigs to be seen throughout Europe.
At the beginning of this century, large-bellied pigs multiplied more and more in Europe, and their physical characteristics changed over time. The reason for this is that the large-bellied pig mates with domestic or wild boar, causing the genetic changes. After years, pig breeds in developed countries have been optimally configured to form specific genetic compositions, and diversified genetic characteristics have made their descendants more like imported pigs.
The pet path of the big-bellied pig
800 years ago, the Spaniards first introduced the rare species of pig to Puerto Rico. After the introduction of the Vietnamese pig, it became a local hot food dish and became the most popular dish in the local area. Because the big belly pig was very cute when it was young, it was used as a delicacy, and gradually many people began to raise pet pigs. Because the big-bellied pig is very clever, the memory and concentration are not inferior to the dogs, so humans train it like a dog. It is not illegal to raise large-bellied pigs in many parts of Puerto Rico, but requires owners to tie them to safety ropes when they are taken out to ensure the safety of others.
The proliferation of pet pigs
Pigs are social animals. A big-bellied pig is raised at home, then it will be lonely, it is very likely that it will be in a bad mood, it will be depressed and sick, you must find a companion for it, talk to relieve boredom, and accompany it to live together.
Humans raise large-bellied pigs as pets, nothing more than to accompany them, to maintain close contact with them and establish feelings. Contrary to their wishes, they spend most of their time searching for food at the end of their noses like suction cups, or sniffing the smell of meters or even miles underground.
Many pig owners can't dream that the once miniature pet pig in front of them will suddenly grow to one or two hundred pounds one day. Their daily meals are equivalent to the amount of food a week, and with the personality of "pigs", they are extremely tenacious in the process of foraging. It even opens the refrigerator, rummages through the cupboards, and sweeps the room.
And they have a subconscious destructive instinct, in addition to foraging in their own rooms, the big-bellied pig also likes to search around for food, using its characteristic nose to rub the carpet or floor quietly near your home, looking for any scattered snacks. In the process, it has the ability to become a "husky of pigs" and tear down your house. Therefore, forced by helplessness, many pig owners will give up on continuing to maintain adult belly pigs.
Four years ago, after a hurricane made landfall in Puerto Rico, hundreds of pigs fled. Since then, the unrestrained big-bellied pigs have begun to multiply in large numbers, and the big-bellied boars can give birth before they are fully mature, which takes about six months. After about four months of pregnancy, 4-10 piglets are born, and the piglets are able to stand and breastfeed within minutes of birth, and are considered fully grown at the age of six. It can be seen that the reproductive ability of the big-bellied pig is super strong.
Since then, thousands of large-bellied pigs have been bred, and without any constraints, they have been "strolling around" on the island every day. They have their own affinity, and soon integrate into the world of chickens, dogs and other poultry, and get along with poultry very well, so that pictures of them walking with geese have also been uploaded to the Internet by netizens, causing various comments and laughter.
Does it taste bad to catch?
Seeing this, foodies must say, isn't this free walking pork? Isn't it delicious to catch? But reality is not always as good as one might expect.
First of all, the super reproductive ability has led to a rapid increase in the number of large-bellied pigs, so that it currently exceeds 6 million and is no longer controllable. Large-bellied pigs are found in more than half of all municipalities in Puerto Rico. Secondly, they are scattered everywhere, and the scattered situation is not conducive to centralized hunting. In four days, Puerto Rican personnel captured only five hundred big-bellied pigs, which was too insignificant to improve the environment. Authorities speculate that it may take years to completely eliminate the thousands of pigs that have seized the island. Again, the big-bellied pigs are not poultry, and the vast majority carry many bacteria and viruses, so they can only be uniformly executed after being captured, and must not be eaten.
The dangers of Vietnamese big-bellied pigs
In the eyes of Europeans, the Vietnamese big-bellied pig is a dangerous species, which is consistent with our thinking. Due to the relatively high probability of Vietnamese pigs suffering from foot-and-mouth disease, the mainland began to explicitly stipulate that there would be no longer pig trade with Vietnam at the beginning of this century.
Smuggling Vietnamese pigs is extremely harmful, on the one hand, it is possible to introduce foreign diseases into the country, especially in the case of the more serious covid-19 epidemic. On the other hand, during transport, the transport conditions are extremely poor. Poor conditions and inadequate hygiene maintenance make smuggled pigs extremely susceptible to disease. The safety of smuggled pigs is worrying, so it must go through normal quarantine to ensure quality. If sick pigs that do not go through normal quarantine are slaughtered to make meat products and flow to the market, the health of consumers will inevitably be greatly affected. If smuggled pigs bring disease, it is tantamount to setting fire to local pig farms and even humans, which is definitely a disaster.
Therefore, biological invasions are extremely frightening. The disaster caused by the flooding of Vietnamese pigs in the United States is enough to arouse our attention. For biological invasion, in addition to strict prevention and strict control, the most important thing is that every citizen should raise their awareness.